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Harris takes aim Allison O’Hagan, staff reporter

Look out students because there is a new Robin Hood in town. Eighth grader, Elijah Harris has been discovered to be a skilled archer. Recently taking up the sport, Harris has taken part in this ancient sport which has roots that go back all the way to 10,000 B.C.E. Once used for hunting and gathering food, this sport is now one that has made it all the way to the Olympics. Elijahs’s own dedication can be noticed in his interest in this prehistoric sport.

Allison O’Hagan: What made you interested in this sport?Elijah Harris: “Well to tell you the truth I always had interest in the sport ever since I heard about Robin Hood and the Olympic games. What helped me get into the sport was that actually my boy scout troop who took us all down to the Queens Archery in Bayside and from there I knew I wanted to play the sport.”

AO: Is it a fairly difficult sport? Or it is easy?EH: “At times the sport can be great and you are having amazing times and you shoot 9-10 scores on the target and then there are times where you’re just not doing great and you wanna take your bow and throw it across the archery range and smack your bow into a wall. The sport was not that difficult for me to learn, but others not so much, archery is more of a natural sport.”

AO: What are the challenges in this sport?EH: “I would have to say how human beings took archery from an old hunting and surviving skill and turned it into a actual sport. At first archery was just a stick and string and a couple of arrows now it’s a machine in your hand that shoots arrows at any distance in about three seconds, some times you can shoot an arrow before you even blink.”

AO: Where do you attend lessons?EH: “I attend my lessons at Queens Archery in Bayside right up the block from the school.”

AO: Do you encourage other students to take on this sport?EH: “I strongly encourage archery to students that want to try the sport because most don’t. Most of the people that I know myself don’t think it’s a head over heels sport.

AO: Have you received any awards or special recognition?EH: “So far I actually haven’t. I am working on my skill in archery. Soon I will be competing in nationwide tournaments to get ranked so I can make it to the Olympics. But for now I am actually doing tournaments in the queens archery every Tuesday and Sunday.”

AO: Do you consider yourself to be a modern day Robin Hood?EH: “Well I wouldn’t say a modern day Robin Hood, but I’ll get back to you when I start splitting arrows and shooting apples off people’s heads Robin Hood style.”

Even though Harris will not be fighting in Sherwood forests with his merry men. Elijah has taken a particular liking to the sport which is as old as Robin Hood himself. With a possible future in the big time league of this sport Elijah’s potential and dedication is as evident as ever.